The Courtroom Phantom
by lovelyBRN13
Summary: When Maya Fey begins to have strange nightmares, nobody questions it and thinks of it as normal. However, when she begins to get hurt by the dreams, Phoenix Wright begins to have doubts about everything being fine. As he delves into the mysteries, he soon realizes that he needs to rescue Maya from her fate. Not for her, but for everybody else's sake. Rated T for safety reasons.
1. Prologue, Chapter 1

**Full summary: When Maya Fey starts to have strange nightmares, everybody thinks its nothing major, just a normal occurrence. However, when she begins to get physically injured from said nightmares, defense attorney Phoenix Wright begins to have doubts. As suspicions begin come to light, dark secrets are revealed, and evil plans start to come afoot, he knows that he must save her. But, can he change a "decided" fate, and unveil the mysteries of the dreams?**

**Joined by some old friends, as well as a new ally, Phoenix will attempt to break through the binds of fate, and everybody will be pushed to their breaking points to uncover the secrets of Courtroom #13.**

* * *

**Hello, and welcome to my newest fanfic, The Courtroom Phantom! I'm counting this as my first actual AA fanfic because the first one I wrote sucked. Really, really, really, bad. It's on deviantART if you want to check it out, but I recommend you spare your brain cells and don't.**

**Anyway, this is an AU that takes place in between the second and third games, and is an adventure/psychological thriller/mystery/romance. The main ship is Phoenix/Maya, as well.**

**This is a fan-made work. The Ace Attorney series and the related characters belong to Capcom. The only things I own are the OCs and the story itself.**

* * *

_Maya Fey often had strange dreams._

_The strangest, however, was of one that she always had, night after night, the same thing, over and over._

_Maya would walk through the courthouse, and go into the court library. Moving a book on supreme court cases would reveal a secret compartment on top of the bookshelf. Inside the compartment was an oddly shaped key. Maya would grab the key, leave the library, and walk down the hall to a door to a courtroom. She would put the key into the lock, turn it, and open the door._

_After that, she would wake up. However, for the past two weeks, she had been waking up screaming and crying._

_Little did she know that the secrets of that dream would turn everything into a swirling mass of chaos and challenge everything she knew..._

_Little did she ever know..._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**March 17, 8:05 a.m.**

**Wright & Co. Law Offices- Upper floor**

Phoenix Wright woke to Maya screaming. By now, of course, he was used to it, but this wasn't the sound of a bad dream, he soon realized.

This was a scream of pain and agony.

He rushed into Maya's room, where Maya Fey was clutching her head, her fingers splayed apart like talons. Tears streamed down her face. Suddenly, she stopped screaming, and sat up, straightening her fingers and untangling them from her long, thick ebony hair. Instantly, Phoenix knew that something was wrong, because it took her left hand longer to get out. It was as if her hair was sticking firmly to it.

Maya let the blue-violet covers fall around her, her white satin nightgown hugging her figure slightly. The straps fell off her thin, pale shoulders, shiny with sweat. Her right hand moved to clutch her pillow, and her left to the neckline, right below her burnt orange colored magatama necklace. Phoenix could see what looked like something a dark crimson color on her hand. She was panting, her chest heaving up and down in short, rhythmic strokes. Her warm milk chocolate colored eyes were wide with fright, tears still threatening to spill onto her tear-streaked face.

"Maya...what's wrong?" Phoenix asked.

"I...I continued the dream..." Maya whispered, her voice hoarse. "This...I don't think this is...an ordinary dream anymore..."

"It never has been." A small voice replied. Pearl Fey was crouched in a corner, still in her light blue pajamas. A large dark purple bruise was on her right cheek, her dark hazel eyes were opaque. "This has never been an...ord-i-na-ree...dream..."

Phoenix nodded, still focused on Maya's hand. Maya, thinking that phoenix was looking at her breasts, covered them with her right arm.

"Maya, your hand." Phoenix said. "There's something on your hand...!"

Maya tentatively let go of her nightgown and gasped when she saw it.

Her left hand was completely covered in blood, a rather large wound in the center of her palm.

Phoenix left the room and shortly returned, holding a roll of bandages, a wet cloth, and a small bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol solution. He sat down next to Maya on her bed and grabbed her left wrist. She let her hand, which had been curled into a fist, lay flat, and Phoenix wiped away the excess blood off her hand, then twisted the cap off the bottle of alcohol solution and gently poured it onto the wound. Maya gasped, her face contorting in pain. She turned away and let out a loud wince, her teeth gritted.

"It's okay, it's okay..." Phoenix said softly. He hated seeing Maya in pain as much as much as she hated receiving it.

He finally stopped pouring, two-thirds of the bottle still in it. After bandaging her hand, Phoenix put everything back in the bathroom, and ran the cloth under warm water. He wiped Maya's face with the cloth, calming her. He did the same to Pearl, as well, after coaxing her out of the corner and putting bandages on her bruise.

Phoenix left them and went to his own room, where he got dressed in his blue suit. He pinned his attorney's badge on, grabbed the case file for the trial that he had that day, and went downstairs to the office.

The Wright and Co. Law Offices was a small apartment-style building located near the downtown district in the greater Los Angeles area. It had once been Mia Fey's, Phoenix's late mentor, and thus had a beautiful feminine charm to the upper floor, which was the living quarters-the carpet was a lush, warm lavender, and the walls were a cool lilac with white trim. There were four bedrooms, and two bathrooms, one across from one of the rooms, and one in the master bedroom. Each of the bedrooms were either cream or white, and the bathrooms were tiled in various shades and tints of blue.

The office itself, on the other hand, was very strict and professional-looking. The colour scheme was black, grey, and cream, with the exception of the oak hardwood floors. The lobby was very neat, as usual, the reception desk with the ledger on it meticulously polished, and the black leather sofa for clients free of dust.

Phoenix walked into the study, which he used as a private office for himself, hidden behind a door in the back. The study was actually quite small, with a small desk, on top of it an old, clunky computer. Bookshelves lined themselves behind the desk, chock full to the brim with thick, heavy tomes on law. To the left of the desk was a window, showing the beautiful spring sky.

Phoenix watered the houseplant by the window, lovingly named "Charley" by Mia, and sat down in front of the computer. The familiar sound of a shower running permeated from the upper floor. The computer finally booted up, and Phoenix clicked on one of the word files. He himself created the files, and they ranged from different subjects, from cases to even Maya and Pearl. He opened Maya's file and clicked on a document entitled "dreams." He headed a new page with the date and time and began to type about the events that happened fifteen minutes ago.

* * *

**March 17, 8:18 a.m.**  
**Wright & Co. Law Offices- Upper Floor, Maya and Pearl's bedroom**

Maya got undressed and put on her fluffy white robe. After helping Pearl get untangled from her process red sash-she always got tangled up in it-she went across the hall to the bathroom to take a shower.

She untied the bandages from her hand. She guessed that it was about three-quarters of an inch deep, not far enough down to cause substantial damage. It was a circular cross-section, about two inches in diameter. Maya had no clue what it was, but by the tissue damage alone, she could tell it was probably supposed to go in farther, and that it was definitely something meant for piercing. She estimated that, in actuality, it was about ten inches.

After taking her shower, Maya got, clinging onto the shower curtain for more support than usual. She felt dizzy, and the hazy images caused by the steam didn't make her feel any better. She suddenly stopped, her right foot on the edge of the tub. She thought she heard the shuffling of feet somewhere nearby. She shook her head wearily. _It's probably just your imagination. _Maya told herself. _Your mind's playing tricks on you, is all._

However, she couldn't decide if that was really true or not. Her vision was wavering, and the footsteps became louder and clearer. She gripped the curtain tighter.

All of a sudden, her vision became sharp, but her hearing dulled, as if her ears plugged up. A shadowy hand loomed towards Maya. She screamed and ran to her right on. However, her right foot slipped off the edge of the tub, and her left got caught on the lip that she had her right foot. She turned in midair to see something falling over her, then felt a sharp pain on the back of her head. Maya landed on her side, the sound of footsteps all around her, and her vision faded to black before she could even cry out for help.

But, she could one thing before she was fully unconscious. A young girl's voice, saying just two small words, over and over again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

* * *

**March 17, 8:53 a.m.**  
**Wright & Co. Law Offices- Upper Floor hallway**

Pearl Fey stood outside of the bathroom door, her hand resting on the doorknob. She knew what she was going to see on the other side, as she had heard the crash, she just wasn't sure if she wanted to really see.

She slowly opened the door and carefully walked inside. Just in front of the door was Maya, her back towards Pearl, unconscious. The shower curtain had been ripped down and was draped over her legs. Her arm was outstretched, as if she was reaching for something. On her back was a series of deep cuts, forming the number thirteen.

Pearl slowly shook her head. "You idiot." She said, her voice slightly deeper than what it usually was. "If it was getting this bad, then why didn't you tell me?" She sighed. "It's always the same with you, Maya. You try to be strong to cover up your weaknesses... I would fight for you, but I'm just too weary of this to do so." She closed the door and walked downstairs. "Doing this over and over again...nothing's changing. I don't think it will ever change. But, my job is to protect you and Phoenix, and that I will do, until the end of the earth. I will...I will find a way to change this fate!"

As Pearl stepped into the lobby, Phoenix walked upstairs, a concerned expression on his face. He suddenly broke into a run, then came down the stairs again.

"The paramedics should be on their way now, Mr. Nick." Pearl said to him, her voice her normal tone again. "I heard the crash and wanted to know what was wrong."

"Ah, th-thank you, Pearls." Phoenix replied, a worried smile on his face. "I'm really grateful for your help."

"Um... Is something wrong, Mr. Nick?" Pearl asked. "You look kind of scared."

"No, it's not that, it's just that, well, I'm kind of worried about Maya." Phoenix explained. "And, well, yes, I am scared. I'm scared because I know that these dreams have been getting worse, and now she's actually getting physically hurt by them, which seems, well impossible. I just don't want Maya to suddenly wake up one day, trapped in her dream."

Pearl nodded. "Yes, that would be quite terrible. I know that Mystic Maya tries to act strong to protect herself, but she doesn't want to ask for help with this. We were talking about it last night, and she said that if she gets through this on her own, then she'll prove to everybody that she's strong enough to take care of herself. I'm worried about her because of that. If she dies...then..."

Phoenix patted Pearl's head softly. "It's okay, Pearls. I'm sorry to bring this up. It must be hard on you, to just sit and watch idly by while all of this happens."

Pearl shook her head. "I'm fine, Mr. Nick. Honest, I am! I just want to know if you're okay. After all, your special someone is in so much pain...and you shouldn't be sad because of that. You should smile, because Maya would like it if you were keeping your spirits up for her. Just smile, okay, Mr. Nick?" She grinned. "Nipah!"

Phoenix let out a small chuckle. "You're right, Pearl. Maya wouldn't want me to down right now. Thank you." A knock on the door made him get up. The paramedics had finally arrived, and he lead the way to where Maya was. Pearl sat calmly where she was.

_Phoenix, please, for all of us...keep your resolve strong. Your will to see Maya happy again is the key to everything. I just know it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, at least it wasn't three months.**

**I'm so happy for your reviews, and hope that you enjoy the rest of the story, as well. One of the reasons why this was so delayed was because I couldn't access deviantArt on my computer for a while. I even attempted to write a second version of this chapter, which didn't save. However, if you want to see it, I guess I could always upload it as an extra after the story's finished.**

**I kept listening to Madoka Magica music while writing this chapter, so if this one has an even stronger vibe of that than the first one, then that's why.**

**This is a fan-made work. The Ace Attorney series and the related characters belong to Capcom. The only things I own are the OCs and the story itself.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**March 18, 9:24 a.m.**  
**Hotti Clinic- Waiting Room**

It felt as if time had stopped for Pearl.

The waiting room had that kind of effect, though. It had dreary-looking gray walls, with hard, uncomfortable blue chairs with hardly any fabric on them. The hardwood floors were dull and covered in worn spots. The windows had white frames to them, and were wide, to let natural light in, but it only made the room look more sullen than it did before. Off-white blinds hung halfway on the windows, as well. A little boy sat in one of the chairs near a window and started to play with the blinds, causing them to swing wildly. His mother scolded him and he stopped, the blinds swinging softly.

The clock on the wall ticked silently, the minute hand moving ever so slightly. It was 9:25.

Phoenix paced in the room in front of her, silent. Nurses and doctors in scrubs walked in and out of the room, and people left with them. Nobody stopped in front of the two of them.

Soon, the waiting room was silent, as well. Phoenix and Pearl were the only two in the waiting room. She hated the silence, but could do nothing about it. She looked out of a nearby window. The sky was a beautiful shade of light cerulean, with only a few puffy white clouds drifting along lazily. It was the perfect day for a spring picnic, or a walk in the park.

She couldn't stand it when the weather was so nice when something terrible was going on. Pearl began to absentmindedly swing her legs back and forth while she thought.

_Right, left, right, left, right..._

She remembered that Maya once told her about Mia's funeral, which took place shortly after her trial. Maya had said that it was unusually warm for fall, and that the sky was perfectly clear.

"You know, Pearly, I don't understand why so many people think that funerals always take place on cold and stormy days." Maya had said after that. "I think they're usually on days that are nice and sunny. I wonder why...?"

Pearl replied, "Maybe it's to show us how small we really are? One person out of six billion...even a hundred out of that number is still small when you think about it."

Maya told her not to worry about it too much, and that she was just simply thinking aloud.

_Thinking... _Pearl thought to herself. _I've been doing a lot of that lately._

She looked up at the ceiling, still swinging her legs. The blinds still moved slightly, the pull cord dangling in the breeze.

Pearl stopped looking at the ceiling and looked at the blinds in interest. The windows were closed before, so why would they be open now, and who opened them? She hadn't sensed anybody walking in. She got up and walked over to the window and reached out towards the pull cord to the blinds. As soon as her fingertips touched the cord, the blinds suddenly snapped up, revealing an overcast sky, with a bloodstained window.

"Mr. Nick, what's-" Pearl asked as she suddenly turned around, but stopped talking as she noticed that she was actually alone in the waiting room. There was no evidence of him leaving, but none of him even being there, at that.

"What's...what's going on here...?" Pearl asked, letting her words fade into the heavy, tension-filled air. That was the strange part-there appeared to be nobody in sight, but the air about the whole hospital had a quite weighted aura about it, as if something bad was going to happen. She turned back to the window. The blood had spread from the window to the sill, and was still dripping down the wall.

She was about to leave when something caught her attention. A strange aura of some sort, black and heavy with...something. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but she knew that she had sensed that aura somewhere before. Pearl finally took a deep breath to calm her emerging nerves and walked out, following the source of the aura. It felt as if she wasn't moving of her volition; that whatever that aura was attached to was calling and leading her.

The aura lead her to a thick, grey door. The sign above the door read "morgue." Pearl opened the door, leading to a dimly lit stairwell leading downward. She walked down silently, barely hearing her footsteps. She passed a series of faded paper handprints on the wall. They had various names on them, written in the same set of handwriting.

Pearl examined them closer. Written on the thumb and pinky were two different years. She stepped away from the faded handprints with a wave of melancholy washing over her. They were the names of children who had died and been taken to this morgue, and the dates were of when were born and died. She continued walking down the stairs, her hand absentmindedly trailing on the wall above the hands of the dead. Her pointer finger slipped down onto one, and Pearl stopped.

It had her name on it.

She looked at the others beyond it, and noticed they all had her name on them. She leapt over to the other side of the stairwell, crashing into the railing. It crumbled under her weight, and she nearly fell. She ran down the stairs, nearly tripping over her feet and the stairs when she tried to take them two at a time. The walls started to fall apart, causing Pearl to dodge several holes in the floor. Small whispers and sounds of laughter came from behind her. She willed herself to move faster, and attempted to sprint down the stairs, only to trip and roll down, her back slamming into the wall.

After a while, it seemed like the stairs would never end, and the farther down Pearl went, her insanity slipped away from her. The stairs began to change shape, and popped after she stepped off of them. The remains of the walls became covered in stars and cosmic shapes, and the gaps turned into strange rainbow-striped creatures that stayed on the wall, hissing and shrieking at her. The stairs suddenly ended and curved into a lopsided hill with many rises and dips in the path. Pearl broke out into a run, tripping and falling.

_Is this what Maya has to face everyday? _Pearl thought. _A sudden loss of sanity, stability, and feeling like she's just running the same path, over and over again?_

She tripped and fell again, this time rolling over to her back, watching the ceiling crumble around her. She outstretched her arms, not moving, just watching everything with a blank expression.

_No, this is my inner thoughts. What I really feel. It's like I'm in a never ending labyrinth. Thus, this is my life: A labyrinthine mess of never ending disasters that I cannot stop. This fate I cannot break. Whenever I get to the end, this happens. It just all falls apart, and it's all...my...fault...!_

Tears slipped down Pearl's cheeks.

"This is all my fault..." She whispered. "I...I can't...do this...anymore..."

She let out a small sob, her voice cracking as she continued to speak.

"I can't...I can't...I...just can't...!"

Suddenly, a bright light filled the remains of the room. The ceiling rose into the air, piece by piece, affixing itself to where it went. The hills became flat as it turned back into the floor, and the constellations and cosmic shapes twisted and turned, and eventually turned back into the plain walls, except instead of being gray and black, it was all white, with large windows covering the walls.

"You look like you need some help." Somebody said. They bent down next to her. "Why are you just laying on the floor and not getting up?"

"I don't know." Pearl whispered. "Is it bad to say that I've given up?"

"Here." They held out their hand. "You really don't have to do this alone, you know. So, why give up now when you haven't even asked for help?"

Pearl stared at the person's hand for a bit, then slowly reached out and grabbed it. She stood up, and they walked down the hallway.

"You don't have to do this alone anymore, Pearls. You're not alone anymore..."

* * *

Pearl sleepily opened her eyes. Her body slowly drifted downward, then collasped in the chair beneath her. She had her head back on the chair, looking at the ceiling. She slowly dragged her left leg up the chair and wrapped her arms around it, lowering her head. Slow, deliberate movements were the key to bringing down her spiritual energy levels. They always spiked whenever she got out of a vision and, for her, took a while to go back down to normal levels. Pearl closed her eyes, letting her sensing ability take over.

Phoenix was sitting next to her, and somebody was walking towards the room. She lowered her leg again and opened her eyes. She looked at Phoenix again, puzzled. His aura was blazing with hope, but the expression on his face was not one of happiness. It wasn't even sorrow. His expression was completely apathetic, unreadable.

"Mr. Nick..." Pearl asked quietly. Phoenix looked over to her and smiled.

"What is it, Pearls? Is something the matter?" He asked.

"Um...well...it's a little hard to explain, but I'll try to." Pearl replied, and took a deep breath. "If I told you that I knew everything that was going to happen in the next few days, would you believe me?"

"Wh..what? What do you mean?"

"I already knew that all of what has happened up to this point in time would happen in the exact order that it did. I already know the gist of what is going to happen in the future. I need your help, Mr. Nick. We need to prevent the future that is going to happen from existing. I didn't realize it at first, but I now know the key to everything. The key to solving this inescapable maze. Your fate is intricately tied to so many others that whatever you do affects the future as a whole. You're the only one who can break this fate, Mr. Nick!"

Phoenix was silent.

"Mr. Nick?" Pearl asked. "Do you...believe everything I just said? Do you trust me?"

"You're a good kid, Pearl." Phoenix replied. "But, you don't need to make up all of this to make me feel better."

"But, I'm...!" Pearl protested. "I'm not! Everything I've said is true!"

"And how do I know that?" Phoenix asked.

Pearl felt the chains around her envelope and saw in her mind three Psyche Locks. She knew that she couldn't tell him the whole story just yet. He wasn't ready to hear all of the truth, especially not with how cold he was treating her. She could tell that he was still hurting because of what had happened with Maya.

Phoenix sighed, then looked at his phone. "I have to call Edgeworth to tell him we're going to be late for the trial. Wait here."

As he left, Pearl looked at the clock. It was 9:47. She turned her attention to the sky again.

_What a lovely day out...it's a perfect day for a walk, or a picnic..._

Pearl got out of her seat and walked down the hallway.

* * *

**March 18, 9:49 a.m.**  
**Hotti Clinic- Room 5053**

Maya Fey's room was silent when Pearl walked in. It was a small, empty field of white, with an open window above Maya's bed. A set of transparent white curtains blew softly in the early morning breeze. Maya was unconscious, her arms tied down to her bed. Pearl sighed, then took out from the folds of her sash Maya's magatama necklace, which she tied around her cousin's neck.

"There. I'm sure you'll feel a little better that way." Pearl said quietly. She then took out from her sash a small medicine case, which contained a small syringe and a few glass jars. She filled the syringe and injected it into Maya's right arm. "Please, stop forgetting your daily injections. Don't you see how important they are?"

Maya turned softly, then weakly opened her eyes. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not immune yet, unlike someone _else _I know."

"I know." Pearl replied. "If only I wasn't immune...then I'd take the injections for you."

Maya shook her head. "You know I wouldn't want that for you, Pearly." She looked back up at the curtains. "You're too young to endure such pain."

"If only she knew what kind of pain you've endured..." A voice said, inaudible to Maya. Pearl turned around, then went to face Maya again.

"Hold on for a few minutes." Pearl replied, then closed her eyes, touching her magatama with one hand. The world changed, and Maya disappeared.

"What do you want, Keyblade?" Pearl asked, turning around again. Her hair was long, and blew around her and she held onto a large, black scythe.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing, Xionn." A girl with long black hair in two long, bushy ponytails replied coolly. She levitated in the air, her long white dress with black trim flowing about her. A black sash tied around her waist had a _karakusa _pattern on it, and she held on her shoulders a large key, the top of it curved into a scythe's blade. Her olive green eyes shone with greed. "Because your friend there doesn't seem to be."

"She had a sudden relapse today." Pearl replied. "The Death Seed should dislodge itself from her soul soon." She turned back to where Maya had been, now a bright blue silhouette with a large black seed-like object in the center. "See, her soul's fainter than before, and the Death Seed's colour is already fading. "In a few hours, her soul should be back to the normal transparency and the Death Seed will be gone."

"Yeah, you're probably right. How lame." Keyblade remarked. She took out a small box of candy and grabbed a piece, then held the box out to Pearl. "Want some?"

* * *

**March 18, 10:07 a.m.**  
**Hotti Clinic- Dr. Sycamore's office**

"So, how exactly is Maya's condition?" Phoenix asked. The doctor in front of him frowned slightly. He was quite a young doctor, and most likely just finished his residence years. He wore his shoulder length jet black hair in a ponytail, and thin black glasses, which somehow made his azure eyes brighter than they really were. His nametag read "Yamato Sycamore."

"We're still quite complexed about what exactly happened." Dr. Sycamore replied. "She was fine one moment, the next, she was trying to scratch out her throat. We sedated her and tied her arms down, of course, in case it happened again."

"She was...trying to scratch out...her throat...?" Phoenix asked. _I feel like I've heard that before. Maya trying to scratch out her throat was a final symptom to something...what was it...?_

"Yes, Mr. Wright. Also, do you know if the number thirteen has any correlation to Maya?" Dr. Sycamore asked, laying a picture down on his desk. Phoenix picked it up and frowned slightly. "We think that the loss of blood from those cuts might've been the reason for her falling unconscious. However, from what you have said, it appears that she may also have acute to severe paranoia, possibly caused by these strange dreams. Mr. Wright, do you, Pearl or Maya have any history of sleepwalking, or PTSD? Or maybe suicidal and homicidal thoughts or actions?"

"No, of course not. We're fine, we're all fine..." Phoenix answered. "Do you think that one of us did it? Pearl is eight, and I'd never do anything like that to Maya. Not to mention the fact that this is all over her back. She couldn't have done this on her own."

"Well, I'd still like to have her stay overnight for observation." Dr. Sycamore said, standing up. Phoenix stood up, as well, and they both walked out of the office. "If these dreams are the source of her paranoia, then I'm going to have to know the root of the dreams."

"Alright, then. Thank you for doing this for us, Dr. Sycamore." Phoenix said. He suddenly stopped to see Pearl standing in the middle of the hallway. "Pearl, where did you run off to? I was worried when I didn't see you in the waiting room..." He stopped talking as he realized that something was wrong. Her hair was down, the ponytail holders used to keep her hair up in her hand. Her hair flowed about her head softly, barely touching the base of her neck. Her head was downcast, her eyes covered in a shadow left by the front of her hair.

"Mr. Nick..." She asked, her voice at a lower pitch than usual. "Why...why do you trust him...?"


End file.
